PARTNERING TO PROTECT FRESHWATER RESOURCES

O U R WO R KThrough our global partnership, World Wildlife Fund and The Coca-Cola Company take a ridge-to-reef approach to securing water for people and nature. Efforts include

• Source-Water Protection and Integrated Watershed Management | Through a Payment for Environmental Services (PES) mechanism known as a water fund, down-stream water users such as municipalities and industry—including Coca-Cola bottling partners—invest in conservation activities (agroforestry initiatives, fire management, etc.) that protect freshwater resources upstream. We also lead inclusive, multi-stakeholder processes to ensure the sustainable use and protection of critical watersheds.

• Better, Freshwater-Friendly Agricultural Practices | To reduce erosion and pollution and promote livelihoods, we help communities and agro-industry adopt sustainable production methods that respect freshwater resources. We promote practices that not only generate more income and reduce costs, but also help control soil erosion, promote water efficiency, and reduce pollution runoff.

• Ensuring Water for All | Used by people, business, and nature, water is the ultimate shared resource, and it requires a shared vision. We are exploring new national and regional policy approaches that will help promote national and transboundary collaboration in the management of freshwater systems and ensure the continued functioning of critical freshwater ecosystems and associated services.

L O O K I N G F O RWA R DThe WWF/Coca-Cola Partnership is seeking other partners to advance efforts through

• collective action to restore, protect, and build the resilience of key freshwater resources in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras

• water reserves that would set a foundation for long-term water availability for all uses and adaptation in the face of climate change

• sustainable sourcing of agricultural commodities, especially Bonsucro®-certified sugarcane

• safe, sustainable access to fresh water that improves the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable communities and conserves freshwater ecosystems

CATCHMENTS OF THE MESOAMERICAN REEFThe Mesoamerican Reef in Central America is the second-largest barrier reef in the world. The reef and the freshwater catchments that drain into it sustain more than 2 million people and are home to more than 500 species of fish, including the whale shark—the largest fish in the world. Unfortunately, the reef and its freshwater tributaries are at risk as deforestation, forest fires, land conversion, and unsustainable agriculture threaten forest, river, and reef ecosystems.

O U R WO R KWWF and Coca-Cola are working together to secure water for people and nature through

• Better Governance and Protection of Wetlands | We foster dialogue and collaboration with representatives from the government, the private sector, and civil society to build more sustainable water resource management that balances the needs of hydropower, communities, and high conservation value wetlands.

• Community Engagement | Working on the ground in communities, we help families reduce pollution by practicing more sustainable food production and using alternative energy sources, such as biogas digesters. We develop constructed wetlands that relieve the effects of untreated sewage, and we encourage alternative livelihoods related to fresh water. WWF and Coca-Cola also promote the Wetland Ambassador Action program, which empowers students to become freshwater advocates across China.

• Impact Reduction | We work to reduce the impacts of business on nature throughout the Yangtze basin. This includes restoring water volumes to vulnerable habitats through replenish projects, improving agricultural practices that yield key commodities like tea, and changing company behaviors to reduce pollution in the watershed.

L O O K I N G F O RWA R DThe WWF/Coca-Cola Partnership is seeking other partners to join our efforts to

• protect high conservation value wetlands, from source to estuary, through multi-stakeholder engagement

• help save the critically endangered finless porpoise, a cultural icon whose health is an indicator of the state of fresh water

• encourage freshwater-friendly agriculture and responsible sourcing, particularly in line with Coca-Cola’s Sustainable Agriculture Guiding Principles

• collaborate with business to increase sustainable practices that reduce negative impacts on fresh water (particularly pollution) and foster collective action

YANGTZE R IVER BASINThe Yangtze River, or the Chang Jian (“long river”), has for centuries played a critical role in China’s culture, communities, and economy. It is the third-longest river in the world, and its basin covers almost 20% of China’s land area and accounts for nearly 40% of the country’s freshwater resources. The basin is home to 400 million people and some increasingly rare species, including the giant panda, snow leopard, and finless porpoise. While people and business depend on the river, unsustainable practices threaten the freshwater ecosystems, habitats, and livelihoods of the local fishing and farming communities.

PHOTOS: Cover: © Scott Dalton/WWF-US; Page 2: © Audra Melton/WWF-US; Page 3: © manx_in_the_world/istockphoto.com; Back cover: top to bottom, © nicolasdecorte/istockphoto.com; © Audra Melton/WWF-US. © 2015 WWF. All rights reserved by World Wildlife Fund, Inc.

World Wildlife Fund1250 24th Street, NWWashington, DC 20037-1193 worldwildlife.org

The Coca-Cola Company1 Coca-Cola Plaza Atlanta, GA 30313 coca-colacompany.com

O U R WO R KBecause water is essential to nature, communities, and business, The Coca-Cola Company and WWF have been working together since 2007 to help conserve the world’s freshwater resources.

Our global partnership is focused on helping to ensure healthy, resilient

freshwater basins in the Mesoamerican Reef catchments in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, and in the Yangtze River basin in China. Together, we are addressing the natural resource challenges that affect fresh water by measurably improving environmental performance across the company’s supply chain, integrating the value of nature into decision-making processes, and convening influential partners to solve global environmental challenges.

Beyond the global partnership, WWF and The Coca-Cola Company collaborate locally in dozens of countries to create a more water-secure future.

PA RT N E R S H I P P R O G R E S SIn 2014, we made significant progress and delivered meaningful results toward addressing the natural resource challenges that impact fresh water in the catchments of the Mesoamerican Reef and in the Yangtze River basin. For example, we

• Improved Supply Chain Impacts by Supporting Sustainable Sugar| Coca-Cola’s main sugar supplier in Honduras, Azunosa, became the first Bonsucro®-certified company in Central America and the Caribbean.

• Contributed to the Global Water Dialogue Through “Water for Our Future” | As part of the regional planning process for the 7th World Water Forum, Coca-Cola and WWF convened some of the most influential voices in water for the “Water for Our Future” event in Washington, D.C.

• Launched Two “Valuing Nature” Pilots | With the Luc Hoffman Institute and other partners, we began supporting work to assess the effectiveness of sustainability certification standards at reducing our environmental footprint on the Earth. And with partners in Iowa’s Cedar River Valley, we started working to pilot and develop a novel agricultural approach that could inform decisions about securing clean water.

To learn more about our partnership visit wwfcocacolapartnership.com